There For You
by ElvendorkDrizzle
Summary: James finds Lily late at night after that wretched incident near the lake. And it is not the Broom Closet Quality Time he had imagined to have with Lily.


_So, it's exam period, so I did what was only natural - I procrastinated the shit out of that. And in the process I somehow managed to write another one-shot, hopefully it doesn't suck, I don't know, you tell me._

_As always, all characters, places, spells, things, my heart and soul belong to JKR_

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He was walking quietly down the 3rd floor corridor, making sure no one heard his steps under the Cloak. The exams were finally over, and the four friends decided to sneak out to Hogsmeade for a bit of fun, which James desperately needed. It was near midnight, and he wasn't expecting to run into anyone, except for Filch or his cat, which is why the sound he heard when he turned left startled him. Inside the broom closet, someone was crying. A girl, it seemed. She was trying to be as quiet as possible, but it seems that she couldn't control her sobs. He wanted to move, he knew his mates were waiting for him, but he suddenly caught himself knocking.

„Are you okay in there?", he whispered, hoping the girl will hear him.

„GO AWAY!", the voice inside screamed and he realised who it was instantly.

„Evans? What's wrong?", he immediately reached for the door knob and found out it was locked. „Seriously, Evans, open up."

„I believe I told you to leave me alone!", she screamed, and just for a moment stopped crying. But he heard her sobs a second later. „You are the last person I want to see now."

„Actually, Evans, you told me to go away, and we both know I never listen," James said. „Now open the door, or I'll open it myself."

„Will you at least once do as I ask you?"

But he didn't listen. He pulled out his wand from his back pocket, and whispered „Alohomora". He slowly opened the door, and saw her sitting on a bucket, her hands covering her mouth in a desperate attempt to silence her sobs, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

„Evans", he whispered softly, furrowing his eyebrows. He never saw her like this before. Angry, happy, excited, scared – yes. But never sad. Never devastated. James entered the broom closet, closed the door behind, and lit his wand. Crouching in front of her, he sensed this strong desire to put his arms around her and comfort her in some way. But he knew he was pushing his luck just by being there.

„Evans, will you tell me what's wrong?", he asked timidly.

„You know bloody well what's wrong, so don't play stupid," Lily spat bitterly.

„Is it about exams? Are you afraid you did something wrong because if it is, I know you...", he tried carefully, but was cut off by her angry glare.

„Do you really think I'm that shallow, Potter, that I would lock myself in a boom closet in the middle of the night so cry _because of the exams_?", shadows on her face danced in such an odd way that they made her look even scarier. Lily held her glare for a second more, before her entire face fell and her green eyes filled with tears once again.

„Oh, come on, it can't be what I think it is?", James replied, remembering, with a painful twitch in his stomach, the scene that played out earlier today by the lake. „You know Snape is just a...".

„He is just my best friend," Lily began, her voice shaking. „He is just the person who showed me this world, who made me feel like I'm not weird or strange or... a freak. You have no idea how I felt. And then Severus came, and for the first time, I didn't feel like I was alone in the univese. And to have him turn into _this_ ... Severus, the one who showed me how beautiful magic is, that I shouldn't be afraid of what I am and what I can do. He helped me embrace my powers. And now, he is using his powers for..."

She started to cry again, and without thinking, she threw her arms around his neck. James was taken aback, and he almost fell down when she crashed into him. Lily hugged him tight, not thinking about the fact that it was James Potter. She just desperately needed to hold on to someone, and he was just there. After the initial surprise, James put his arms around her, and she buried her face into his neck. For a few minutes they just sat there like that, Lily hugging him tightly, her sobs ceasing, and James gently stroking her hair. Eventually, she let go of him, and sat upright. Then, as if she saw him for the first time, she punched him in the arm, not so gently.

„That... was for being a complete and total arse today, Potter," she said, crossing her arms. „I just can't believe you sometimes."

„I'm sorry," James replied, and Lily was surprised at how honest he sounded. „Sometimes, I can't believe myself either. It's just, when you're near by, I can't control my actions – it's like stupid kicks in," he added, lowering his head down.

Lily was quiet for a second, thinking about today, and how he asked her out. „He likes you... James Potter likes you!" – Severus' words rang in her head, and she felt the smallest tingle in her stomach, but she ignored it.

„Yeah, you are a complete prick half of the time, and you should really work on that. But, you have your good moments," she said, and smiled softly as he lifted his face and looked at her. „Thank you for this, Potter."

„Are you going to be okay?" James asked, and Lily could tell that he was genuinely worried.

„I don't know," she answered truthfully, lowering her gaze. Severus was her best friend. Even though they have drifted apart over this year, and even though they seemed to have chosen different sides in this war, he was still her friend for so long, and he was so important to her.

„You shouldn't be friends with someone like that," she heard James's voice, and looked him. His eyes were filled with anger. „You can't be a friend with someone who thinks people like you are lesser wizards and witches, lesser beings. You deserve more than to call someone like that a friend, no matter what your relationship with him used to be. What he called you..."

Lily could see that he was furious, and suddenly felt grateful that he found her. Not just for being there to comfort her, but for truly caring about her and being angry about Snape calling her that. In a weird way, she felt safe next to him. Overwhelmed by this sudden, strange feeling, she hugged him, again.

Pulling away, her hands lingered on his shoulders, their eyes locked.

„Thank you, James", she said, before standing up, and going out of the broom closet, leaving a very, very confused James behind.

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Any good? How bad? Reviews are passing grades!


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